Each year, over the last ten, I’ve prayed for words on which to meditate. This year Psalm 77:11 stood out. “I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Thy wonders of old. I will meditate on all Thy work, and muse on Thy deeds.” The word “remember” and its variations is used over 1200 times in Scripture, many in command form. Remember the Lord and what He has done for you. Which adds the unspoken: be Thankful. The prophet Jeremiah said God’s compassions never fail – they are new every morning. Sometimes more than once a morning, even many times during each day. If we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, which I don’t always have. There is so much to remember, an entire lifetime of memories – and give thanks for the blessings.
Rick and I have many memory files, in rather chaotic order. Think of a pile of file folders stacked so high on a desk, they spill and scatter across the floor. Randomly picking up one jogs a memory, emotions, and starts a story rolling. If it is a shared memory, there will be different versions. Which ones are meant to be passed on to our children and future generations? They may not be interested now, but someday they might. My brother has been working on our family genealogy and said what he misses most is the personal side, the stories within each life – not just birth and death dates. I know what he means. I have a hundred questions I wish I’d asked my grandparents. What meant the most to them? What events shaped their lives? What was it like to live in their time?
I’ve forgotten far more than I remember of my life, but often a memory pops up when least expected and an old story starts rolling. Sometimes it’s not so much a memory as a realization. Especially when it has to do with Jesus and faith and when and where He made Himself known to me. When I became a Christian, my eyes opened to experiences I had in my past and how God had been making Himself known all along, but I didn’t have the eyes or ears or heart to realize.
I’m at the end of a project, a new book – The Woman Between – and suddenly find myself between work and rest, little time and more time, focus and wondering what to do next. I’m sure some of you (those older) probably understand what I am trying to say. Rick and I both want to remember the events of our lives. Sometimes the shortest, seemingly insignificant happening has great significance we only see now after decades of life experience.
Maybe this quest came out of being interested in how the various generations think about life. One thing I know. Every one of us was born “for such a time as this”. Why here? Why now? Time to spread out the fallen files and pick one out and look more closely.